


with time comes change

by softielight



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Adopted Peter Parker, Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), Hurt Tony Stark, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Meets the Avengers, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Rogue Avengers, Team Cap - Freeform, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, and wait for plot development, please stop making me pick sides
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:34:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21875986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softielight/pseuds/softielight
Summary: The Civil War.Man, what were they thinking?It was a complete shit show. That one little disagreement had quickly split up their whole group, destroying their friendship as they knew it.Tony still hadn't fully healed. After all, almost being stabbed to death in a frozen wasteland by one of your (ex) best friends does come with its trauma.But now, he had Pepper. He had Rhodey.He had Peter, the absolute ball of sunshine who helped him back onto his feet when no one else heard him fall. The young high-school nerd who looks at him like he hung the moon and stars in the sky. Oh, did he mention that he's also the crime-fighting Spider-man of Queens?So just when he thought everything was getting better, life just had to kick him in the ass.Now, the "Rogue Avengers" were moving back into the compound.With Tony.And Peter....fuck.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 68
Kudos: 963





	1. important news

**Author's Note:**

> Just a heads up, this is set after Homecoming and Tony didn't sell the Avengers Tower (you'll see why).
> 
> I'm sorry for killing May, I promise I don't hate her. It's just easier for Tony and Peter to get closer and help each other heal. :)
> 
> Any feedback would be appreciated!

The Civil War. 

Man, what were they thinking?

It was a complete shit show. That one little disagreement had quickly split up their whole group, destroying their friendship as they knew it.

Tony still hadn't fully healed. After all, almost being stabbed to death in a frozen wasteland by one of your (ex) best friends does come with its trauma. Not to mention, having part of his family ripped away from his clutches, leaving him to fill the newly-dug hole in his heart; their fight still haunts him to this day.

But now, he had Pepper. He had Rhodey. 

He had Peter, the absolute ball of sunshine which helped him back onto his feet when no one else heard him fall. The young high-school nerd who looks at him like he hung the moon and stars in the sky. Oh, did he mention that he's also the crime-fighting Spider-man of Queens?

So just when he thought everything was getting better, life just had to kick him in the ass.

Good news? Tony finally had Ross fired (that asshole who started all of this) and the Accords had been changed for the better, as himself, Vision, and Rhodey had revised it, including things like enhanced individuals, vigilantism (he worked on this part the most, mainly because of Peter), the authoritarian nature of the Accords, and more to make sure the Accords would be equal, fair, and accommodate everyone.

Bad news? The deal of firing Ross included having the "Rogue Avengers" move back into the compound.

With Tony.

And Peter.

...fuck.

-

Peter sighed, looking at the scenery outside his window as Happy continued to drive them to the Compound. A lot had been on his mind; it's been a while since he took a break.

It had been 3 months since May's passing, due to an unfortunate accident where she crashed into a truck while rushing to her late-night shift. Her sudden death had changed his life, the possibilities of what could happen to him running through his head right after her death time was announced (the numbers 1:45 AM still haunt him to this day). A few minutes later, a conversation with an adoption social worker quickly piled onto his stress-filled brain. She said that, as he was still underage and had no living relatives left, he would have to go through the adoption process to find him a new foster home.

It was like Uncle Ben's death all over again; except May wasn't there to heal him.

Overwhelmed with his aunt's death and the weight of a foster family on his shoulders (he had heard the rumors of foster homes; not many were decent these days), he had unknowingly dialed his emergency contact: Mr. Stark.

He could remember their conversation like it was yesterday --

_'Underoos? Why are you calling me at 1 AM?'_

_Peter could hear the gruffness in his voice, indicating that he woke up the man (which was rare, as The Tony Stark normally never slept)._

_'M-Mr. Stark, I-I'm sorry but M-May-- s-she's gone, I-I'm in the hospital-- a-and the social w-worker-- a-adoption-- i-it's too much and I --'_

_'Woah, woah, slow down. Deep breaths kid, ok? I'm on my way, **don't worry.** ' _

After the man hung up, all Peter could remember was crying for such a long time. It felt like months, years; like time was slowing down just to torture him even more. It wasn't until a pair of familiar, warm arms were wrapped around him did he start to calm down. From then on, his memory was blurry. He knew Mr. Stark had sorted things out with the social worker, bringing him to the Compound, and tucking him into bed. Until then, Peter honestly never thought the man cared for him _that_ much.

Yeah, Mr. Stark did start mentoring him in person more often and they hung out once in a while, but Peter just thought it was a 'requirement', something Ms. Potts probably forced him to do. But seeing Tony's panicked and worried expression as he wiped away Peter's tears, and the loving gaze in his eyes as he tucked Peter into bed; those moments were real, fragile, and precious. It was the first time Peter had seen Tony Stark, not as some higher, untouchable being, but a normal person with feelings just like him.

The next day, he offered Peter a room in the Compound, saying that he could stay here as long as he liked. A week later, they both couldn't fall asleep and caught the other in the kitchen, Peter making hot chocolate and Mr. Stark drinking black coffee. Mr. Stark then (to his surprise) invited him to work in his lab for an hour to _'calm them down'_ , that hour quickly turning into the rest of the night and being caught by Ms. Potts in the morning. They both agreed it was totally worth it though. 2 weeks later, Ms. Potts taught him how to bake cookies (and they may have pranked Mr. Stark as well by adding hot sauce to his cookie's frosting). 3 weeks later, a pile of adoption papers were signed by Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts, officially declaring Peter as their son. He definitely cried that day.

It was like being in a nightmare and a dream all at the same time. Losing May was one of the most horrible, painful times of his life; he spent a good month breaking down into tears just at the thought of her. He couldn't bear to look at anything that reminded him of her. Happy had to go pack up his things from the old house (Peter swears even Happy shedded a tear), Mr. Stark helped him keep all of May's family photos until Peter was ready to see her face again, he even took a break from Spider-manning for a week (the guilt of not telling May his superhero secret before she passed making it all the worse). But having Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts there to take care of him, to stand beside him and tell him, _"It's all gonna be ok, Pete,"_ had been so reassuring, so comforting, it felt like he had a full family again. They were so loving and kind, patient and caring as they helped him back onto his feet. Mr. Stark had pulled him through his first panic attack, taking time to tell Peter about his own traumatic experiences and panic attacks he had, letting Peter know that he _did_ know what the young teenager was going through. Peter bets they spent a good few hours talking about and exchanging their own encounters with anxiety, letting it all out in the open. Rather than pushing them apart, that event had just made them closer.

"We're here Peter." Happy said, snapping Peter out of his thoughts.

"Thanks, Happy! I'll see you after the Christmas holidays!" Peter grinned as he dashed out of the car, excited to see Mr. Stark in the lab.

And if Happy had smiled at the young boy-- well, he didn't need to know.

-

"Mr. Stark, I'm back!" Peter shouted, placing his backpack onto the sofa.

As he heard no reply, the boy asked:

"FRI, where's Mr. Stark?"

_"Boss is currently in his lab on an important phone call, I would advise you to stay out until he's finished."_ she kindly replied.

"Ok, please alert me when he's done."

"Will do, Peter."

Feeling satisfied with the AI's answer, he opened the freezer and grabbed a box of Cookie Dough Ice Cream (which was _clearly better than mint_ , as he had argued to Mr. Stark).

Telling FRIDAY to play a Star Wars movie, he got comfy as he watched the intro play, scooping a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth; waiting for his Da-- Mr. Stark to arrive.

_'I wonder if he's doing ok..'_

-

**"This is _not_ ok!"** Tony yelled, outraged. 

_"I'm sorry but if you want Ross to get fired and the Accords to change how you want it, this is the only solution."_ the monotone man replied.

" **Fuck this shit..** " Tony mumbled under his breath, "fine, just do it."

_"The preparations have been completed. They all signed the revised Accords, they'll be arriving on Thursday. Have a good day, Stark."_

Immediately hanging up, Tony let out a groan as he rubbed his temples, frustrated with the current situation. It was confirmed, the Rogue Avengers were moving back into the Compound. 

He and Pepper had moved over to the Compound for convenience, thinking it would be easier to cater to Peter's schedule seeing as the Compound was closer to his school and it took Peter an hour to web his way to Stark Tower.

_'...I need to tell Peter.'_ the thought suddenly came to mind, Tony's eyes widening in shock.

Adopting Peter was probably one of the best decisions he and Pepper had ever made together. A year ago, he couldn't even carry a conversation with a teenager for a minute. Now, he couldn't imagine living a life without Peter, without their movie nights as he ran his fingers through Peter's curly locks; an action which, he realized, helped him relax and de-stress after a hard day. 

A month ago, Peter had ran into the lab after FRIDAY alerted him that Tony was having a panic attack. It was obvious what had caused it, as the video of Bucky killing his parents was playing on the hologram screen (he soon found out that Tony accidentally opened it while sorting through the old files of his suits).

After calming the man down, Tony took the time to explain to Peter what truly had happened that night in Siberia. Peter was the one who actually found Tony, pale and on the verge of death in Siberia (they found him 2 days after his fight with Cap). He could faintly remember the boy sobbing, pleading him to wake up; after that, he passed out cold. Except for Pepper, no one knew about the details of what really happened to Tony. 

But he didn't want to keep lying to Peter all the time, he didn't really have any reason to. This was now his son, how could he lie? So he told Peter everything. Why, when they had found him, he was bloody, bruised, and required immediate surgery (since Captain America has stuck shrapnel into his arc reactor and caused him to have a near-death experience).

At first, the boy's expression was unreadable-- but it was gone in a flash, Peter lying down on his chest as he allowed Tony to run his fingers through his hair, FRIDAY turning on a movie in the background.

Speaking of which...

"Hey FRI, where's Peter?" he asked, taking out a pack of dried blueberries as he threw one into his mouth.

_"Peter is currently in the living room, waiting for you while watching a movie."_ she responded.

Tony smiled, of _course_ Peter would be waiting for Tony to join him. That was just the kind of person Peter was; kind, compassionate, loving, everything Tony wanted his boy to be.

"Thanks," he said, waltzing out of the room to find his kid.

-

"Hey Bambino," Tony said, taking a seat next to the boy.

"Mr. Stark, you're finally done!" Peter replied, a bright, contagious smile on his face that caused Tony to grin back.

"Didn't I tell you to call me Tony?"

"Maybe if you stop calling me Bambino, I would consider it."

"Well, can you really tell me I'm wrong? I mean, just look at you!"

As Peter remained silent, eyes narrowed, Tony let out a bellowing laugh.

"What, can't refute back?"

"Whatever, let's just watch the movie!"

The older man smiled, enjoying their light bickering as he turned to face the screen, hand still playing with his son's hair.

_'This is how everything should be...'_

-

He didn't tell Peter.

Yes, Tony knew that he probably should have said something and gave Peter a heads up that the _Avengers_ would be moving in and _living_ with them in less than 2 days. He shouldn't have been a huge dick and hid the fact that Peter's childhood idols would be 'rooming' with them, oh-- he also should've said that the Accords had finally been revised, Ross was fired, and Spider-man might have to sign the new Accords.

But as he saw Peter asleep on the couch, peacefully dreaming, he was too nervous to utter a word. 

Tony had never regretted bringing Peter to Germany with him, it was a good fighting experience for the newbie vigilante and would help him develop as a superhero. But at the time, Spider-man was just another one of those people that he used to try and placate Team Cap. 

Now, he personally knew the boy behind the Spider-man mask. Not only that, but it was his adopted _son_ (he still remembers the look on Rhodey's face when he first told him). In his chest, he felt a sense of protection. Even though he was Spider-man, he was just a kid; a young teenager trying to balance school life and superhero life while living with his adoptive father who happened to be the billionaire and philanthropist, Tony Stark; that's not an easy feat. He knew that the Rogues ~~probably~~ wouldn't hurt Peter, but he also knows that Steve had stabbed his shield into his chest when they were supposed to be ~~brothers~~ best friends. Tony knew how irrational this was, he knew how unreal it was, but this was _Peter_ , his pride and joy (along with Pepper). His newfound primal instincts caused him to throw every other logical thought out the window, determined to protect Peter even though he knew the boy was capable of doing that himself.

Separating the Compound into two parts, the Rogues would stay on the floors below while Tony, Peter, Pepper, and Team Iron Man (if they decided to visit) would stay on the floors above.

From then on, Tony decided that both parties could _never_ know about the other.

He would make sure of that.

..right?


	2. the arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the endnotes because they are REALLY important + related to the plot of this ff, thank you! But anyway, hope you enjoy this new chapter!

After ~~many disputes~~ a small debate with Pepper, Tony knew that his original plan would have to be altered.

Turns out, Pepper didn't want Peter anywhere _near_ the Avengers either, requesting the Rogues to be moved to Stark Tower. She never said _why_ she wanted that. But in hindsight, it did work out in Tony's favor. I mean, it was a pretty smart idea. If Peter and the Rogues lived in different Towers, they would most likely never be able to meet. So, the couple decided that Happy and Pepper would stay at the Compound to take care of Peter while Tony would go and live with the Rogues, as the government wanted him to 'keep an eye' on them or whatever that meant.

~~Stupid administration officials, always messing shit up for Tony. He wished he could just chop off their fucking dic--~~

Peter would be able to visit every weekend, getting there on Fridays after school and staying there until Sunday night where Happy would come to pick him up.

Of course, there was the devastating prospect that somehow, Peter and the Rogues would bump into one another while his kid was visiting. But that was rare, as Tony would leave almost everything off-limits to the Rogues except the common area and the kitchen. He wasn't gonna prohibit a former SHIELD spy, a super-soldier, a certain web-swinging vigilante, and more from opening the same fridge; that would just be _stupid._

~~Except, in reality, Tony _really_ wanted to do that and only didn't because Rhodey said it would be a chance for him and others to 'reconnect,' blah blah, other bullshit, etc.~~

When they told Peter, Tony could feel the disappointment radiating off the poor boy. He almost, _almost,_ called the whole thing off, but he knew that he was doing this to protect Peter. Even **"Peter's Bambi Eyes™"** wouldn't work on him. Nope, not this time. ~~Ok, maybe just a little~~. But after a long talk with explanations on why Tony had to move back without them _("Work's really been piling up on me Pete, and your school's too far away from the Tower.")_ and how they would still spend their weekends, _("Yes, I promise we'll still have our movie nights.")_ so it all worked out in the end.

Plus, Tony only wanted the best for Peter. With Dethlacon practices becoming longer and longer as Peter prepared for upcoming competitions and exam season approaching the horizon, Tony thought the move would help his kid focus more on his own well-being.

But Peter wasn't naive, he could see that something had Tony stressing the past couple of weeks. He could hear Mr. Stark's heartbeat speed up faster than usual, and he was having more migraines than before (he really shouldn't have left the bottle of pills on the dining table yesterday morning). His body movement was always stiff, the dark eyebags he wore indicating the lack of sleep he had the previous ~~week~~ night before. Plus, he knew that Mr. Stark rarely attended meetings and left most of Stark Industries' business initiatives up to Pepper. He was already feeling suspicious when Mr. Stark mentioned the word _'work'._ But, Peter trusted that Mr. Stark knew his own limits and that the man would open up to him when he was ready.

-

Thursday arrived faster than Tony expected, much to his displeasure. Most of Team Cap was moving back; Barton, Maximoff, Romanoff, Wilson, and Rogers. Barnes was still taking time to heal in Wakanda while Shuri was fixing up his metal arm, so T'Challa notified him that it would be about a week until the former assassin could move back in. Tony supposed it was good on his part; his mental health would be taking a huge hit if both Rogers and Barnes moved back at the same time. It wasn't that he hated the duo, it's just that he knew his anxiety would give him major flashbacks if he saw them from the get-go and he was _not_ ready for that. He knew it was gonna happen eventually, but he wanted to prolong it for as long as he possibly could.

Of course, he would have preferred it if they came back in smaller waves, but his opinion and ell-being on that matter was never really considered in the long run.

Rhodey would also be checking in once a week due to government requests and Vision would be visiting soon to 'see the Rogues again.' Although, Tony already knew it was just for Wanda. Since they were previously fugitives and living on-the-run, they didn't require much. All Tony had to add was a ~~lot~~ bit more food in the kitchen, a few more tools for the training rooms, comfortable beds, and they were good to go.

-

When they moved back in, there was nothing. No 'welcome back' banner, no light banter with a few laughs here and there, no small celebration with some booze and snacks, no heartfelt moment between them to make amends about the Civil War. Nada, zip, zilch, _zero._ Tony didn't even seem to acknowledge them moving in.

Ok, maybe Tony was being a _little_ petty about the whole thing. Deep down, he knew that this was a good first step to repairing the team since being around each other would heal them more in the long-run. But that didn't mean Tony had to like this right now-- he still wanted a bit more time to mope around in his workshop.

The day they came back, Steve was a little disappointed. Even though he knew both him and Tony were in-the-wrong about the whole Civil War thing ~~and Siberia~~ , he wanted to try and start anew with the billionaire. He felt guilty and wanted to show that they could be a team again, a closer and more trusting team, to show that he had time to reflect and became a better person during the time that they were separated.

But it didn't look like that was happening soon.

Pepper was the one who turned up to show them around, not Tony.

~~Honestly, it's not like she _wanted_ to, but she wasn't about to let Tony have a panic attack right from the start.~~

Steve's pride was a little hurt when he saw Pepper instead of Tony on the landing pad, but he wasn't about to let that get him down.

"Pepper, it's nice to see you again," he said, stepping out of the Quinjet.

The woman remained uncharacteristically quiet, her face a blank slate as Steve's eyebrows furrowed in worry.

A eavesdropping Clint spoke up, "Pepper? Are you oka--"

"It's Ms. Potts to all of you, I don't think we're close enough to be on a first-name basis yet." she replied in a monotone voice, "Now please, follow me."

Her signature bright-red high heels echoed with every step she took, everyone else with their eyes widened as they walked behind her into the building.

Most of them were shocked. What was this, _"not close enough to be on a first-name basis"?_ Besides Wanda, the rest of them had known Pepper for such a long time; with her classic, friendly smile and gentle words. But this? This was a whole new Pepper. Even from Wanda's perspective, even though she had just met this woman, she could tell that her words had damaged her teammates more than they wanted to show. She didn't have to read their minds to know that their old relationship was cracked.

As Natasha stared in front of her, she only then realized how much the Civil War incident had affected everyone. Not just Tony and Pepper, but the rest of them as well. She recognized Steve's defeated expression when Pepper spoke back to them, her voice void of emotion. Even the super-spy herself was upset that she ever let their friendship fall apart, and she wasn't usually one to make connections with others and truly care about them.

"By the way, why isn't Tony the one guiding us around?" Sam questioned, the tension in the air quickly getting to him.

" _Stark_ is currently occupied with work-related studies," Pepper responded, "you'll see him around soon enough." 

So, the last-name basis also applied to Tony.

The whole atmosphere was strange and unusual, everyone wishing the tour would end faster just so they could get rid of the uncomfortable feeling surrounding them. During the entire tour, Steve couldn't really focus on most of what Pepper was saying, only looking around once in a while before staring at the ground once again. This group was broken, shattered, and for once, he had no idea how to fix it. He was meant to be a leader, the one who guided them in the right direction, but he didn't have a clue about how to start piecing them back together.

He bets Tony can't even bear to see his face after what happened in Siberia, and honestly, neither could he. The guilt piled up to his throat every time he had a nightmare, regretting every single one of action while knowing they both could've handled the situation better. He _should've_ told Tony about his parents instead of hiding it away from him, even if Steve thought it was for his own good. The Accords wasn't so much of an issue compared to Steve's actions-- leaving Tony to die in an abandoned, snowy, wasteland. He didn't even have the _guts_ to tell his teammates about Siberia, too afraid of the backlash he would receive (even though he didn't mean most of what he did, the thought of defending Bucky being the only thought in his mind at that moment).

But it didn't mean he thought Tony was completely innocent, the philanthropist had his fair share of errors during the Civil War and Siberia. He probably shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, immediately attacking Bucky out of what Steve thought was pure rage and anger. Somewhere within his heart, he knew a small part of him wanted to be enraged at Tony for trying to engage in battle with his best friend without letting Steve explain the full picture. That little part of him wanted to resent Tony for not seeing how the Accords would just split the team apart more than it was (at the time), how it wouldn't benefit anyone and could very well destroy all the progress and freedom they had tried to build up for so long.

But no, Tony could never understand the life struggles Steve had gone through. From being frozen in ice for nearly 70 years and waking up in a new century, to realizing his best friend was still alive and being targeted by someone he trusted-- he would've never understood, no matter how hard Steve tried to explain. That emotion of burning hatred in him wanted to strike that rich, egoistical, playboy in the face over and over, allowing Tony to feel how he felt when their team had been ripped apart, forced to fight against each other at that stupid airport in Germany. He wanted to utterly _destroy_ him.

No, take a deep breath, Steve. Be reasonable, don't be irrational.

But he also knew that he too was partially in the wrong for both the events in Siberia and whole War in general and that Tony had gone through his own struggles after their fights (he was certain that Tony's fatal wounds didn't heal in a day). So, he wanted to take the first step that would help heal his relationship with Tony.

But how does one say sorry to someone that doesn't want to even see them, let alone strike up a conversation with them?

Steve let out a sigh, brain filled with his past faults as he rubbed his temples to try and rid himself of his newly-formed headache. He only snapped out of it when he felt a tap on his shoulder, turning around to see Wanda with a concerned expression.

"I can help you with that if you want, Steve." she said with a smile, "I won't look into your mind, promise."

"Thanks, Wanda. That would be great, please," he answered.

Relief washed over him as red mist surrounded his head, Wanda carefully removing his stress-filled thoughts.

"Cap, what's got you all worked up?" Sam asked, placing his bag onto the couch (oh, they were in the common room?).

"Did you seriously _not_ see the tension between us and Pepper?" Clint sighed, "It's clear that things aren't going to be like before."

"Of course they aren't, the Civil War messed us all up in different ways. Including Pepper, even if she wasn't there to fight." Wanda responded.

"I'm just thinking of ways to fix this whole mess up," Steve confessed, "the pressure and guilt are driving me insane."

Natasha sent him a sympathetic smile, albeit a tiny one, but it was still there.

"I'm sure we all feel the same as you do, but this kind of stuff takes time," she told him, the super-soldier nodding along.

"Yeah, you're right..." he said back, slightly reassured by Nat's comforting words.

Maybe Steve _could_ change things around, he just had to be patient.

-

For the first two months or so, everything was going according to plan. 

Tony had met up with the Rogues a few days after they arrived, bumping into each other while Tony was making his afternoon coffee ~~because of course, they would meet up again in the kitchen, of all places~~. It was as awkward as Tony had expected, but they managed to make some decent conversation. After a week, Tony was able to stay in the same room as one of them without publicly displaying a nervous breakdown, so at least that was progress.

Meanwhile, even though Peter was disheartened by his father's sudden move, he definitely didn't let that push them apart. Despite his busy extracurriculars and full-on schedule, he always made sure to leave his weekends free (including Fridays), even passing off building a new Star Wars Lego Set with Ned just to take an hour's drive up to Stark Tower. He never forgot about any plans they made, always making the most of their time together before Peter had to leave on Sunday. And, as a bonus on Tony's part, Peter hadn't met any of the Rogues yet, so that showed he might've been having a lucky streak. Peter could still sense how stressed Mr. Stark was, with his hunched shoulders, stiff posture, and tired appearance; so Peter made sure to help out in any way he could. 

Movie nights were one of Tony's favorite ways to spend time with Peter, especially after a long day. Tony's migraines would wash away instantly after a 2-hour Disney movie as he and Peter sang along to the songs (he had memorized them just for Peter), a comedy movie helping him to laugh out his stress. They would always make peppermint hot chocolate and popcorn (it was their movie night tradition), wreaking havoc in the kitchen while knowing they would have to clean up afterward, but they didn't care-- Peter and Tony were having fun and that was that. Tony would then sit down on the couch, legs propped on a pillow in a comfortable manner. Peter would take the spot next to him, often curling up into the crook of his neck or snuggling into his chest, making himself comfy as Tony placed a warm blanket over the both of them. 

But the one thing that could always unwind Tony was Peter's brown, curly locks of hair. He could comb his fingers through that ball of fluffiness all day and never get tired. Having the TV quietly murmur in the background, Peter cuddled up against him while breathing up-and-down in a steady rhythm, and running his fingers through his Bambino's hair was a perfect, instant cure for his insomnia; causing him to fall asleep alongside his son in minutes. Peter knew this-- he didn't care if Happy got annoyed or if Pepper would scold him ~~and Tony~~ the next day for not arriving home on time. To the young boy, having a relaxed, peaceful, sleeping Mr. Stark with close-to-none nightmares was already a big enough accomplishment to throw all the other after-effects of his actions away. If it helped Mr. Stark have a good night's sleep, nothing else mattered.

The Rogues also saw tiny changes in Tony. I mean, it was bound to happen sooner or later. The man was literally living with 2 ex-SHIELD super spies.

They knew a happy-go-lucky, open-armed Tony wasn't something they could possibly achieve in such a small amount of time, but the differences in his attitude were easy to spot. His absence in the evenings during weekends didn't go unnoticed, nor did his demeanor when he returned. He would always look lighter in a sense, more fulfilled and relaxed than before, like how they would look when Wanda helped them remove the day's worries (but everyone knew that it wasn't her who helped the man, it was obvious since Day 1 that Wanda wasn't exactly comfortable when alone with Tony). He would even try to join in on their conversations, sometimes pulling up a chair and actually _enjoying_ the chatter before retreating back into his lab.

To Natasha, she saw the most minuscule things that even Tony himself might not have been aware of. How he would always make himself a cup of hot chocolate instead of his usual black coffee in the evenings, how he would (occasionally) offer to help out with chores or give advice on someone's problem rather than just letting the person handle it themselves. His confident strides as he waltzed over to the kitchen table, a small, happy grin that seemed permanently stuck on his face as he grabbed a pack of dried blueberries. He usually didn't even remember to eat, let alone bother to. Once, she even swore she heard him humming a soft melody while cleaning the dishes. The song sounded awfully familiar, like a childhood tune of some sort? But, she wasn't certain.

Though, their observations were mostly futile as Tony would become his normal, arrogant, sarcastic self again in the morning-- he was the complete opposite of 'kind' at the breakfast table. It was if, at night, he had a completely different persona.

To Peter, this was the Mr. Stark that he knew and learned to love. But to the Rogues, it was just plain strange. Entirely out of the ordinary from the cocky billionaire that they were familiar with, the one that they knew ever since their early Avenger-ing days. 

-

"Maybe he's just been drinking again?" Steve had suggested one night, right after an annoyed Tony had once again dismissed himself off to who-knows-where (it was clear he didn't want to be around them at that moment).

When the rest of them didn't respond, he continued, "I mean, think about it. He chugs down a couple glasses of liquid courage, lets the alcohol do its thing while he chats with us, retreats back into his humble abode, and is miserable again in the morning with what's probably a terrible hangover."

"I doubt that, Cap. Stark doesn't seem like the man who would drink and knowingly risk one of his fingers slipping while working in his lab," Sam chimed in, chewing on a piece of lettuce.

"Swallow your food, bird brain." Clint joked, said man throwing a glare his way, "Speak for yourself, hypocrite."

Steve shrugged, "Who knows, he could be just drinking in his lab to make us think that he's working when in reality, he's not."

"I don't think he has any alcohol though," Wanda stated, "there was none in the fridge last time I checked." 

"He might be hiding some in his private quarters," Clint countered, "we don't know what he keeps up there."

"We don't, but Pepper does. She's a good woman and only wants the best for Tony; she wouldn't let him walk down that path again, not if he wants them to stay together." Natasha confidently answered, the rest of them nodding along.

"I suppose it's also best we don't jump to conclusions," Steve agreed, "I don't want to offend him, after all."

All of them knew they were on thin ice just by being around Tony, let alone striking up some banter. It wouldn't be wise to look deeper, ~~though their curiosity may get the best of them one day~~.

But what they didn't know was that-- even though Pepper did contribute to helping Tony heal and develop better habits-- it was actually a certain young lad from Queens with chocolate doe-eyes and a caring smile that had enough patience and kindness to help pull Tony out of the cage he trapped himself in, helping him to see how bad his previous decisions were and be active in changing his ways.

But... they didn't need to know that.

Tony had more important things to focus on.

Now, when was Peter getting here? He's 10 minutes late, that sly kid.

Well, _his_ sly kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! I just have a little issue to address, so please read. 
> 
> Due to a comment someone posted in the 1st chapter, I tried to change this ff up a bit and be a bit more sympathetic towards Steve and Team Cap about the whole Civil War + Siberia situation. (I think the person who commented might've been more of Team Steve than Team Tony. So if you are, maybe this ff isn't for you.)
> 
> I don't believe my ff is "Not Team Cap Friendly". Even though I do love Team Cap (trust me, more fluff w/ team cap will be coming in later chapters), I want to first focus more on the relationship between Tony and Peter + how they help each other heal from past mistakes/problems, hence why I kind of made Team Cap (though it's mostly Steve) look a bit meaner and crueler. I also wanted to show the grudge Tony has against Steve and vice versa, so there will be more tension and clash between these two in future chapters.
> 
> But just like the story's title; the longer this ff is, the more character development will happen. I don't want to make this ff be against Team Cap/Steve entirely, so I won't tag it as that. This was just to clear things up for you guys. And please, READ THE TAGS FIRST! 
> 
> Remember: if you don't like what you see, don't read :)
> 
> Hope you guys understand, love ya <3


	3. night terrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly just some Peter + Tony fluff! Sorry there's not much Team Cap in this chappie, but this was too wholesome lol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO PUBLISH THIS! I've just been working on some of my other stories on Quotev (check me out @softielight hehe) and kind of put this fic on the back burner. BUT, I'm trying to get back into it!
> 
> If you guys could gimme some suggestions on what you wanna happen next, that would be great! I'm looking for some more inspo since I'm hitting a small writer's block, so all ideas would be appreciated! Thank you, enjoy!

Peter stumbled through his bedroom door, an ice pack fitted on top of a bruise that sat neatly on his cheek. Pepper, fortunately, was out of the house while over at SI with Tony. She had told Peter that an urgent situation came up-- he thinks it was something about being a tour guide? 

Anyway, Tony was apparently busy with some 'board meeting', so Pepper had to take his place. It was understandable though, it _did_ sound like such a Tony-esque thing to do. Plus, it made hiding his injuries all the easier.

It was a calm Saturday night where Peter had put on his Spider-Man suit and explored the alleyways of Queens. It was going as usual, until he had encountered a certain group of baddies who were tougher than your average group of bank robbers in Avengers masks. After a rough battle, he came out with purple blisters on his face, a broken rib, and a twisted ankle that he couldn't do anything about, as he wasn't sure on how to nurse himself back to help. All he could do was hack into FRIDAY's firewall, delete any remaining footage of that night, patch the firewall back up, and grab a few ice packs to try and numb up the pain.

When he first started living with them, Tony had tried to give him pain medication, but it was to no avail. They had tried a wide variety, even mixing two types together on occasion, but it was always unsuccessful. SI had yet to develop any pain meds for Captain America, let alone Spider-Man, whose metabolism rates depleted _far_ quicker than said Super Soldier. So, all Peter could do was leave the ice on and try to sleep off the pain. 

-

_He could feel it. All of it._

_He screamed, throat now painful and dry as the pain above him never seemed to cease. Blood dripping down from his head, dyeing the puddles of water below him beetroot-red. He tried to suck in air but the atmosphere around him was so dusty, it was almost impossible to get a full breath in._

_Were his lungs even expanding? They had to be-- otherwise, he would be dead._

_But it felt like something was pressing down on him.. from above him?_

_It then clicked._

_Cement. Debris. Blood._

_He was back in the collapsed warehouse, stuck underneath heaps of rock and rubble._

_Gritting his teeth, Peter pathetically grunted, wondering if those sounds would alert anyone nearby who'd help him. But all that came back was a familiar, sinister chuckle-- Peter looking up to see the Vulture, eyes filled with malice._

_"Well, Petey, I best be going," he said, "I'm already behind schedule. Perhaps, once I get rid of Stark, I'll come and pay you one last visit."_

_No, no, no. Fuck, he's going after Tony._

_The Vulture cackled once again, mechanical wings spreading apart as he flew off into the night sky._

_Peter's started to mumble incoherent words, thrashing around in dread because all that's in his mind are the words, 'He's gonna kill Tony, he's gonna kill Tony.'_

_Everything he had done up to this point would've been useless._

_A faint ringing was starting to appear in his ears, water streaming down his entire body. He was gasping for air as he registered a panic attack set in, but he didn't care._

_~~The Vulture was gonna kill Tony, The Vulture was gonna kill Tony~~._

_C'mon Peter, you have to try._

_Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale._

_Suddenly, the pressure on his back increased, knocking all the air out of him. Tears dripping down his face, Peter scrambled to find some sort of escape._

_He needed to get to Tony, to save Tony, to rescue him from the Vulture's clutches._

_He screamed, not hearing a single sound as the ringing blocked everything else out. Just ringing, and ringing, and ringing. It seemed to never cease, almost as if his ears were going to burst open._

_His eyes rolled to the back of his head, the ringing louder than before as his vision turned white and he could feel the blood dribbling down his arms._

_He couldn't just disappear like this, this wasn't how he was going to die._

_He could feel his sanity slipping, throat letting out one last cry for help before--_

-

"No!" Peter yelled, arm outstretched as he sat up in his bed.

He choked on his saliva, still shaking and in a sweat from his nightmare.

Heaving in deep breaths, he then remembered what his therapist said, quickly running through the procedure in his head.

**Name 5 things you can see.**

_Window. Lamp. Desk. Computer. Book._

**Name 4 things you can touch.**

_Pillow. Hoodie. Blanket. Hair._

**Name 3 things you can hear.**

_Clock ticking. Birds chirping. His breathing._

**Name 2 things you can smell.**

_His body wash. Tony's cologne. (he was wearing the man's old MIT sweater)_

**Name 1 thing you can taste.**

_Mint toothpaste._

Ok, he could do this. He's okay, Tony's okay, they were both okay. 

He's not at the warehouse, not trapped under heaps of debris. He's in his comfy bed, sleeping in the Compound. 

Everybody is safe, everything is fine. 

Hearing his heart rate slow down, Peter grabbed the water bottle from his bedside table (he had kinda been expecting this) and he slowly sipped.

He had been getting a few reoccurring nightmares recently, but none were as bad as this. On a scale from 1 to 10, this one was definitely a 9 (he and Mr. Stark had set up a scale system to use together). The past nightmares were mostly just him getting beaten up badly by some crooks who left him for dead in an alleyway. But this one was on another level.

The only dream to ever exceed the scale's 10-mark was the one about May's--

\--nevermind.

Peter grabbed his phone, first seeing that the time was 3:00 in the morning before noticing he had 1 missed call from--

"Mr. Stark?" he mumbled in confusion, eyes squinting from the bright light as he called the man back.

The ringtone was only on for 3 seconds (or maybe even less) before Mr. Stark picked up.

"Pete?"

"Hey, Mr. Stark."

"What are you doing up so late?" he questioned.

"I-I just woke up from a nightmare," Peter answered, "b-but I'm ok now, don't worry!"

Silence.

But if it wasn't for Peter's enhanced hearing, he may have missed the quiet reply from the other line.

"..me too."

And right there, Peter was wide awake, noticing all the tell-tale signs of a recent panic attack coming from Mr. Stark. Why he was calling Peter at 3 in the morning, how he was trying so hard to hide his labored, erratic breathing-- it was all there.

"Scale system, now." Peter firmly told him, worried about his father's well-being.

"Eh, probably a five--"

"Tony," Peter persisted, using the man's first name, "I can tell you're lying. You wouldn't be calling if it was a _five_."

Tony let out a sigh, knowing that his son would hear right through his white lie.

"I-It was, like, a solid ten. Maybe even above," he replied shakily.

"Where's Pepper?"

"She flew out to Wak-- Canada a few minutes ago on urgent business."

"..call me a suit."

"What? No way, Pete. Your mother would have my head--"

"I don't care. Your well-being is so much more important than that, she'll understand." he quickly argued, "It doesn't matter though. I'll get there anyway, even if I have to swing an hour's way to Manhatten. So, I can either do that or you can call me a suit."

Tony's resolve was quickly shattered, there was no way in _hell_ was he allowing his son to be swinging out over to New York in the early morning. Reluctantly, he gave up and flew a suit over to the Compound, Peter jumping in as the suit arrived at SI in no longer than 20 minutes. Tony supposed his new upgraded boosters were of use, after all.

Tony was also glad he managed to not spill the beans to Peter about the Avengers over the phone call, nor did he tell the boy that Pepper was not going to Canada, but to Wakanda to check in with T'Challa and Shuri on Barnes' healing progress and when he could return to the Tower.

Tony really hoped that wasn't soon-- he wasn't prepared to look at the man face-to-face, he just needed a ~~lot~~ little more time.

"You wanna talk about it?" Peter asked.

"Not tonight," Tony replied, "maybe tomorrow."

"Ok."

Within a few minutes, Peter was tucked into Tony's side, both warm under blankets as _"The Empire Strikes Back"_ played softly in the background.

This was all Tony needed.

It was definitely an impulsive decision when he called Peter, and that (according to FRIDAY) there was a 96.7% chance that the young boy was asleep. But after his nightmare, Tony had to find some sort of reassurance, especially with Pepper gone. He wasn't sure if it was lucky or unlucky that Peter was awake from a nightmare just like him, but he was glad that Peter managed to convince him to go to SI-- to be by his side as Tony ran his fingers through the boy's tangled hair, heart rate slowing down as he followed the pattern of Peter's breath.

_Inhale. Everything was alright._

_Exhale. He wasn't back there anymore._

_Inhale. Peter had saved him from there._

_Exhale. Peter was here with him now._

He stared at Peter's sleeping face, wounds on his face still noticeable-- even in the dark. He suspected that, since Pepper and himself were out, Peter wasn't expecting to see the both of them before his injuries could fully heal. He was always so reckless, _"Just like his father,"_ Pepper had told him when she first found out about Spider-Man.

Well, she wasn't wrong.

Pepper was never wrong.

As his mind started to drift off into a dreamless sleep, he knew that there might be consequences for his actions tonight. How the Avengers might find him and Peter in the common room, how Peter might 'accidentally' tell Pepper about tonight's events (though she would definitely find out _somehow_ , like she always did), how Peter would absolutely try to get Tony to tell him about the nightmare-- but he couldn't really care about any of that right now.

What was most important was knowing that Peter was next to him, Peter was okay, Peter was safe.

And as his eyes closed shut with those thoughts, Tony had the best sleep that he had in a while.

-

Opening his eyes, Tony squinted as the morning sunlight gleamed through the window.

He couldn't remember the last time he slept more than three hours a night, but his body was surely feeling the effects of an actual good night's sleep. He didn't have the back pains that permanently engraved themselves in his bones like when he slept in his lab, and waking up in an actual bedroom and not with his head on a desk was more comforting than he originally thought.

He was currently lying down on the bed and tucked into the blankets, The Last Jedi still playing on the large-ass TV screen-- guess he never turned it off before falling asleep.

He moved to take a glance at the clock, but found his body was stuck. Confused, he looked down and realized that an arm wrapped around his torso. On his lap was a passed-out Peter, said boy letting out faint snores during his slumber as Tony chuckled. 

He probably should've expected both of them to be knocked out before the movie even finished-- especially since it was so late-- but he didn't mind. Even though he was a little wary at first, he didn't regret his choice to fly Peter out (even though Pepper was going to get _so_ mad when she found out about this little scheme) because they were there for each other-- that was all that mattered.

_'I should still wake him up though,'_ Tony thought, nodding to himself as he propped himself up.

"Hey Underoos," he stated, "wake up."

A tired groan resonated through the room, Peter rubbed his eyes as he began to wake

"Mr. St'rk," he muttered, turning his head to face Tony, "g'morn'.. wh't t'me 's 't?"

Tony laughed, finding his son's baby-like mumbling adorable as he gave a fatherly smile.

Wake up sleepyhead, let's go eat breakfast," he beckoned, satisfied when he saw Peter's acknowledging nod.

Lifting up the sheets from both of their bodies, they crawled out of the bed and parted ways to their separate bathrooms. 

By the time Tony finished washing up, Peter was nowhere to be seen.

Tony looked up to the ceiling, "FRI, where's Pete right now?"

_"Peter has entered the common room's kitchen, sir."_ the A.I professionally responded, _"I believe he is preparing breakfast."_

"Alrighty, thanks girl,"

_"Anytime, sir."_

Tony waltzed into the pantry, heading to the open counter as he saw Peter standing in the kitchen. 

The young boy was dressed in one of his old MIT sweaters (where did he even get that?) and the gray sweatpants Rhodey had bought for him a couple of months back-- it was nice to finally see that boy accept gifts and use them. 

Tony took a seat, Peter reaching for the brewing coffee pot as he poured out a cup.

"Thanks kid," Tony said when Peter slid the mug of steaming-hot black coffee in his direction.

Cupping his fingers around the cup, Tony took a sip as Peter grabbed himself a box of Lucky Charms from the cupboard.

"It's no problem," Peter beamed, pouring out the cereal and milk as he took a seat next to Tony and began to feast.

"By the way," the boy continued, "I noticed you have a ton of new cereals."

When he heard that, Tony almost choked on his drink. 

He had completely forgotten about that.

Each Avenger had their own specific type of cereal-- Steve was a Captain Crunch boy, while Tony himself preferred Cheerios. Sam had labeled himself as a Fruit Loops kind-of-guy, but Wanda was definitely leaning more towards the Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Natasha always went for those Frosted Flakes, and Clint made sure to hide the Ko Ko Crunch from _everyone_ in the house (even Tony had no idea where they went). 

Tony knew that Peter was a Lucky Charms fan and would _only_ eat that type of cereal. So for a while, the only cereals their cabinets were stocked up on were endless cardboard cartons of Cheerios and Lucky Charms. But now that the Rogues were living here, Tony thought it would only be fair to accommodate food for everyone's taste.

But Peter didn't know that.

So, how was he going to play this one off?

"I.." Tony trailed off, blurting out the first thing he could think of, "..got these from an event."

Peter raised an eyebrow, "An event? Did you participate in a cereal commercial or something?"

"Yeah, yeah," Tony declared, going along with the lie, "I was involved in some of the filming tech and the crew just _insisted_ on me taking some of these bad boys home-- and who was I to say no?"

Usually, Peter could catch onto these types of things. But hey, give the boy a break-- it was early in the morning and he was too busy scarfing down his food to realize the white lies that were spewing out of Tony's mouth.

"That's really kind of you to help them, Mr. Stark." Peter remarked, the latter feeling slightly bad for deceiving his son.

After a few silent moments, Tony spoke up, "How'd you sleep?"

It was quiet.

"Better," Peter said softly, "you?"

"Much better," Tony responded.

"No nightmares?"

"No nightmares."

Tony didn't need to ask Peter if he had any scares last night, as the cheerful grin plastered on the kid's face gave everything away. 

Peter was never a great lier anyways-- a trait that he, thankfully, didn't inherit from his father.

Peter leaned his head onto Tony's shoulder, the man's hand instinctively reaching up to run his hands through the boy's curls while untangling the knots.

"So, wanna talk about those bruises you're sporting?"

"..nope."

Tony chuckled at Peter's futile attempts to hide his face in the man's chest, tapping his shoulder as they both moved to stand up.

"I'm gonna go text your mother to tell her that you're here," Tony informed, "finish your food, wash your bowl, and go down to the lab-- I've got a new project for us."

"Mmhm," Peter hummed, enthusiastically nodding as Tony walked out.

Doing as his father said, Peter quickly rinsed his bowl and spoon. Leaving the utensils in the sink, he dried off his hands and scurried outside.

"Morning FRI," Peter greeted as he stepped into the elevator.

_"Good morning to you as well, Peter."_ she returned, the robotic Irish voice seemingly filled with joy.

Peter smiled, "Please take me to Mr. Stark's lab, thanks!"

_"As you wish, Peter."_

However, if Peter had looked closer, he would've seen the bodies of Steve, Natasha, and Sam strolling out from the hallways and into the kitchen.

But Peter was too occupied with texting Ned, not bothering to look up from the screen as the metal doors closed shut.

Meanwhile, the 3 Rogues members had just floated into the kitchen and swiftly began their morning routines.

Steve took a seat on the counter, pulling out a magazine as he began to read. Natasha opted for an apple this morning since she wasn't too hungry, while Sam snatched a few bottles of water for him and Steve before they went on their morning run.

As Sam was digging for the Fruit Loops, he saw a bowl just laying there in the sink-- was somebody awake before them?

Albeit, Sam and Steve usually woke up earlier for their jogs, so maybe this was another Rogue? But even though they were late, nobody else ordinarily woke up at this tim--

Just as Sam was pondering, Tony stepped back into the kitchen with a yawn. The man had just finished texting Pepper of last night's charade and was waiting for a reply-- he expected Peter to still be finishing up his breakfast, so it was quite the shock when he saw the 3 of them sitting there.

Natasha could practically taste the tension in the air, Tony desperately trying to play it off cool as he gave them a small wave.

"Morning, To-- Stark," Steve awkwardly said.

"Hey Capsicle," Tony nonchalantly replied as he subtly avoided eye contact.

"Was this bowl yours, Stark?" Sam asked, pointing to the dish in the sink.

_Fuck, Peter._

"Yeah, of course," Tony played off, covering for his son, "who else would it be, Birdbrain?"

When there was no reply, Tony took that as his cue to leave-- he needed to check up on Peter anyway.

"Well, I'll be taking my leave," the billionaire shrugged, shuffling out as the two men slowly returned to their tasks.

Natasha was the only one who was suspicious, eyebrow raised as she watched Tony's figure disappear. 

...

Wait.

Since when did Tony ever eat breakfast?

-

Tony shook his head, frustration building up inside of him as he felt the elevator move.

Even after a month of moving in, things were still so strange and irregular-- hell, they were still calling him 'Stark'.

~~Obviously, he had no idea about the small 'last name basis' conversation the Rogues had with Pepper.~~

Tony just wanted everything to return back to normal, the times before the Rogues arrived. He was finally settling back into the idea of a 'family', one with Pepper, Peter, and all his friends. But of course, the Accords and the Rogues had to step in and ruin everythi--

_Ding._

Feeling a vibration from his pocket, he pulled out his phone to see that Pepper had finally responded.

But what he thought was supposed to fill him with relief turned out to be the complete opposite, his face draining of color as he read the short text.

**Pepper:**

_Bucky's moving back in._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you guys wouldn't mind, please gimme some suggestions for nicknames Tony can call Peter (ex. Bambino, Pete, Kid, etc.) If you could also find some Italian nicknames that would be great (I love Tony speaking Italian)
> 
> If any of you wanna comment some nicknames the rest of the Avengers would give Peter, that would be greatly appreciated and super useful for future chappies! Anyways, that's it-- author out!


End file.
